What The Heart Wants
by xPaige Turnerx
Summary: AU. AH. A more recent Romeo and Juliet with enough twists, turn, and action to keep you hooked. Well, that's the plan. R&R! A/B Es/C R/Em J/? E/?
1. Chapter 1

_**Inspired by Lackadaisy comics**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**Rated: T.**

**Author: Paige Turner.**

**Pairing: Alice/Bella.**

**Summery: AU. AH. A more recent Romeo and Juliet with enough twists, turn, and action to keep you hooked. Well, that's the plan. ^^ R&R! A/B Es/C R/Em J/? E/?**

**BELLA**

St. Louis, 1926. To an outside, someone passing by, possibly a tourist; this city might seem quiet. By day the streets are filled with people going off to work, heading out to a friends's place, or maybe even just a casual day out to enjoy the sun, doing regular day to day things. But by night, it is a whole other story. And like most stories; there's a protagonist and an antagonist. I myself like to think I was the protagonist in this tale of manipulation, trust, betrayal, loyalty, and love. The antagonist…well, I won't ruin it for you. Let's see if you can figure it out quicker than I did. But I'm getting ahead of myself here; a little background is in order, otherwise you would be completely lost.

My name is Isabella Marie McCarty. Or Bella for short. I was sent to St. Louis at the age of five, when my parents passed away. At the time, I was under the impression it was a car accident, but as of late, I found out it was more of a 'being run off the road by my family's enemies.' See, my dad was a big time lawyer, but since he was an honest and decent man; he couldn't be paid off like most by some of the scum living in the city with us. His good nature was a curse, and this last time he paid the ultimate price for it.

So, my brother Emmett and I, plus my father's will that left us everything, were sent down here to live with our Aunt and Uncle, Charlie and Renee, and help out with the diner/bar they owned; 'The Swan'. And that's exactly what we did; tidying the diner, bussing tables and cleaning the apartment above us where we lived. Little did we know, the real game was money and product, which meant doing whatever you had to do to get it.

By the time I had reached seventeen and Emmett reached nineteen, we were deep into the underground trade. I like to think our parents didn't know about Charlie's ways of running a business, and that if they had they wouldn't have sent us. It's not like Renee and her husband were bad people, on the contrary; they were very good people, just not to anyone outside the family.

Charlie had us trained. Like I said; he was a good man who only had our very best in interest, and thought we should be prepared for the world so we weren't giant targets. He got one of his met muscle men, Felix, to teach both Emmett and I to fight and to shoot. Emmett took to wrestling and fighting right away, given his physique and nature, while I was more of a gun slinger, and I was pretty damn good if I do say so myself, just like no one would want to get into a fist fight with Emmett.

And that's how our reputation came to be. No one wanted to mess with Emmett or his baby sister; the McCarty's, when together (Which was always, Emmett and I were attacked at the hip; partners in crime) were a force not to be trifled with. The Terrible Two. The Dangerous Duo. It was all quite funny because Emmett was really just a giant teddy bear, and I myself was a book worm with her nose buried in a book most of the time.

**XxXxXx**

"I don't see her." A scruffy voice growled, panting. He was bent over, trying to catch his breath while his buddy leaned against the building at the side of the alley, also trying to slow down his heart.

The second thug rang his hands through his greasy brown hair and grunted. "Damn." He cursed, trying to peer down into the dark alley. Another two steps and they would have been swallowed up by the dark shadows, much like I had when I ran back here.

I took deep breaths through my nose, crouched on the other side of a dumpster. My heart was hammering in my chest and my feet felt like they would fall off and I'd be left with bloody stumps any minute. I had just run three blocks, three large damn blocks, trying to lose these goons. Last time _I_ do the distracting while Emmett steals the car. The fool takes forever to get it going. Honestly, the guy clearly didn't have this whole thief thing down.

"Well? Get going! We gotta find her; my shotgun was in that truck!" The second thug growled again, shoving his friend towards the shadows.

My heart jumped into my throat, but I shook off the nerves. There wasn't much around here and I wasn't one for hand to hand combat; my bear of a brother was. No, I wouldn't last long with my five foot four. My arms, that were only toned and hand no real muscle, were pale like a ghost and not very intimidating. Plus I had mahogany hair that was long enough for anyone to grab and yank me around by in a fight, and big brown eyes that practically begged to have swollen black bags around them with a single good shot. I bruised like a peach.

Aha! Bottle caps! Biting my lip to concentrate while the two goons fumbled and felt their way down the alley towards me, I took the laces from one of my shoes, tying one end loosely to one of the bottle caps. Hopefully it was loose enough that the bottle cap would be released with enough momentum. It _should_. I was hoping it would, because if it didn't; I was as good as dead.

Pocketing the other caps in my pocket for a quick reload, I got to my feet and squinted into the darkness. It helped that I was looking at them against the light, where they'd stand out, unlike me who they were trying to find against a dark wall. I mentally shook myself, lining up my shot for the red rimmed grey eyes, and with a flick of my wrist, mimicked a slingshot motion.

"Ow!" I was rewarded with a yelp and the stumbling of one of the thugs as he cupped his eye. "_Dammit!_ I think I'm bleeding." He shouted, still stumbling backwards towards the light.

His friend reached out, trying to locate the guy and help him, when he ripped his hand back, holding it up to him mouth while hoping up and down. "_Sonuvabitch!_" He wailed, wagging his hand around. "What _was_ that?"

I grinned wolfishly, stepping out into the open more.

He cried out in pain again, his uninjured hand coming up to the back of his head. "You little…" He started stomping my way, reaching down to pick up a weapon of some sort. It looked like a bottle from here, though I could have been mistaken. I suddenly wished I hadn't left my guns in the truck with Emmett.

His ears must have been burning, because a large, looming shape stepped into the light of the lamppost beside the street.

Emmett was a large, no, giant boy. He was six foot five, with the body of a mountain made of muscle that had most guys cowering in terror when he got angry. He had short, dark hair that he usually kept slicked back, but always had a few rebellious curls in it. He also had the chocolate brown eyes, which were very common within the family, and most of the time, a huge grin on his face, showing off his dimples. Tonight however, his face was grim as he stared down the two thugs. He was wearing the family colours; black and blue; black shoes, black pants, a dark blue button up shirt, and a silk black vest with his black fedora.

I too, was wearing family colours, though not in the traditional sense for most girls which was a dress. It was absurd; how could anyone expect to do any of the work I did, in heels and a dress? That was like telling a cow to…to…lay eggs or something; ridiculous. Anyway, black shoes, black pants with dark blue pinstripes, a black blouse, dark blue suspenders and a dark blue tie. I usually kept the sleeves rolled up to my elbows as to not get any gun powder on them, because Renee was always complaining about it when she did laundry. And the most precious and favourite item of my outfit; my blue rimmed steampunk goggles that were up on top of my head, holding my hair out of my face most of the time.

The two thugs froze when they saw Emmett; one with a hand on the back of his head still, and the other with a hand over his eye. Emmett cocked his head to the side. "Bells, you back there?" He asked in his booming voice.

I walked out of the shadows and past the men, straightening my tie and smiled up at Emmett with a big grin. "Yup. You don't look so happy, Emmett." I pointed out.

In the corner of my eye, I could see the two switch looks of shock to one another. "The M-McCartys?" One of them stuttered.

Emmett threw them a large grin. "You better believe it." He turned to look at me. "Were these men bothering you, dearest and only sister of mine?" He asked, cracking his knuckles.

The man with the hurt eye gasped, the only good one left widening. "No! N-never, we would never. We, uh, we were just trying to catch the little lady here to ask if she was lost and needed directions." He murmured.

I put a hand on my hip, tapping my chin with a finger. "Huh. I could of sworn I heard something about breaking my fingers to teach me a lesson…"

The other spoke up. "No! Not _you_…s-someone else. For something completely different." He rushed out.

Emmett held back a laugh, his lips twitching. "Well, in that case, maybe you should stop by The Swan for a round on me, as a thanks for making sure my little sister here wasn't lost."

The first shook his head furiously. "No, we really must be going. We, uh, fell, and have to get patched up." He replied, inching his way down the sidewalk away from with with his friend in tow. "Perhaps another time."

With that, the two turned and sprinted back down the sidewalk. Emmett and I watched, neither speaking, until they became small dots in the distance. Emmett quirked an eyebrow at me. "Forget something?" He asked, holding out my guns. My black belt with holsters on either side where my Tokarev TT33 7,62 Pistols stayed. They were my babies; sleek and black, with a star in the middle of a circle on each handle, both holding eight rounds each. These were fairly new on the market, not so common yet, but they were amazing as far as weaponry went.

"Thanks." I grinned up at him, taking it and buckling it to hang around my waist. It was too thick for the belt loops.

Emmett only nodded in response, jerking his head back to the truck that was still running. "We should probably head back. I called, seeing if you had made it back before me, and there was some sort of uproar that had Jane's knickers in a twist."

I snorted. "Yeah, let's get back before she tears the place apart." Emmett let out a booming laugh as we got back into the truck.

Jane was a scary little person, but Emmett found her amusing as hell.

**XxXxXxXx**

After running the keys upstairs into Charlie and Renee's room, I raced back down through the empty diner, throwing Demetri and smile who was sitting bored at the counter, keeping watch over the front door. Above the diner was our apartment; Charlie and Renee's bedrooms, a washroom, a living room, my bedroom, Emmett's, and a couple of offices for Charlie.

I ran down the hall to the back door past the storage room, swinging it open to reveal a large stone staircase. I made quick work of ii, skipping down the steps while attempting to not fall flat on my face and waved at Laurent. He was a man with skin as dark as the night sky, and big brown eyes that were constantly swimming with mirth. His french accent made him that much more enjoyable to be around, along with his odd hair which he insisted would catch on _somewhere_. He was in his suit, standing guard at this large oak door that he swung open for me.

I thanked him as I made my way in and turned to survey the room. We had been getting less and less customers, mostly because we had been getting less and less gin lately. People were swooping in left and right, offering Billy Black, who boated this stuff in to St. Louis on the river, better and better deals. And since we were strapped for cash as of late, it was hard to barter with the man. Anyway, the bar was in this basement that used to just be a large cave, but Charlie had a little work done when we first moved over here with our dad's will and all our expensive belongings. He sold them, with our permission of course (we just wanted to help and in the long run, it turned out well) for a little man power and other supplies. Now, the cave roof had a bunch of lights installed, but were a pain in the ass to change with they burnt out, and the bar along one of the cave walls. Behind the bar counter was a large wooden shelf taking up nearly the whole wall, full to the brim with gin and wine and glasses, which, unfortunately, wasn't nearly enough. We were constantly having to water down what we had to make it last. At another far end of the cave along the wall was a stage with a big red curtain hanging on the wall where the band played. There was a big grand piano up there where Renee had taught me to play. All throughout the rest of the room were sofas, chairs, tables, pool tables, and other places to lounge. Branching off in the back corner was a tunnel that if you followed long enough branched off into more tunnels, some of them dead ends, others leading out into the city or the woods, one of them leading out to the river, and another leading to the weapons storage. It was like a maze, so that if anyone wandered off, they wouldn't be able to get into much trouble, unless they could pick locks.

Like I had predicted; there weren't much people here. A dozen, maybe a little more. It was sad; back in the day, this place used to be packed, _packed_. Now it was close to a ghost town down here. I made my way to the bar, hopping up onto a stool beside Angela and Ben. They were a couple of the very few friends I had, and loyal costumers. "Alec, Jane's looking for you and table eight needs another round." I said when he came over. Alec was Jane's twin, so he was short, with short pale brown hair and dark eyes that always looked black down here in this light. He fixed his black bow tie, grumbling under his breath, and huffed, walking back while I snickered. I was glad that I didn't work the bar, the busy nights were nightmares, though as you probably guessed, they were rare. Charlie was starting to get wound up because of it.

"Alec!" Jane hollered, her pale brown ponytail whipping around as her dark eyes narrowed on her brother. She jumped onto a stool and over the bar counter. "Table eight needs another round."

"I know." He snapped, grabbing a few bottles and hurrying over to them. The urge to stick out my foot and trip him with his arms so full was strong enough to make my fingers twitch, but I knew Renee would kill me for all that waste.

Jane straightened out her black dress that was more like a cloak really, but whatever, and grumbled. She opened a bottle for herself, glaring down at the counter. "I hate them!"

"Hate who, Tiny?" Emmett asked from beside me. I jumped slightly, wondering where the hell he came from. I heard Angela try to repress a snicker and and glared at her with a playful smile.

Jane turned her dark eyes on him and his grin faltered. "The Cullens." She spat the name like it was a disease. "I had a run in with some of their men and they took my truck! How am I supposed to explain to Mr. Swan that we lost another truck!" She yelled, throwing her hands in the air.

I quickly grabbed her bottle that was about to topple over. Here in St. Louis, there was three bars, three teams running the underground trade. 'The Swan' which was us, with more artillery than anything else, including men and product. 'The Cullen Inn' which was an Inn as well as a bar, owned by Carlisle Cullen and his wife, Esme, though I had never met any of them, or even run into their men, so this was a little surprising. They had a lot of man power, tons and tons, because they had some really good connections here before they moved down here. And last, but definitely not least -in fact, out of all of us, they were doing the best- was the 'Hale Ale' another bar run by Eleazar and Carmen Denali, though word on the street was that they were training their niece and nephew, Rosalie and Jasper Hale, to take over. Hence the name. What they had was product, lots and lots of ale, and they did something to it; making it stronger and bringing in more costumers.

Yeah, Emmett and I had just got another truck this evening, but it was supposed to be extra, because just about everything we had around here was dwindling. So, really, we needed all the vehicles we could get, and this was the kind of thing Emmett and I were known for. We were champs of the five finger discount. "You want Emmett and me to go get it back?" I asked.

Jane's eyes lit up at the fact that she probably wouldn't be getting heck now.

"Good ol' McCarty's. Doin' favours 'n such." Tyler Crowley slurred, stumbling up to the bar. He took a deep breath, swaying on his feet in front of us. "But no, y'shouldn' go. M'cousin, Mike, works over there 'n he says that their kids jus' moved back. He said something' 'bout Edmund…no, Edward?" He laughed and shrugged, nearly toppling over in the process and grabbed the counter to steady himself. "Eddie is all protective of his cars. The place'll be crawling' with em' men of their around where they're keeping' th'cars."

I bit my lip, trying to think over their land. Their Inn was out closer to the outskirts of the city, and the house was in the woods, which is where they would probably be keeping their cars. "Thanks for the heads up, Tyler, you got a drink on me tonight." I said, patting his shoulder and giving him my seat as Emmett and I made our way to the front door.

There was no point in grabbing a coat; it wasn't cold out tonight, and I needed to be as quick as possible and not run the risk of a coat getting caught on branches. "Going through the woods?" Emmett asked, looking down at me curiously. I nodded. He sighed as we walked down the sidewalk towards the alley that lead to the garage. "You know, I don't think Charlie would want us risking our necks just to bring back the truck. We can find another one somewhere else."

I shook my head and took the kets to one of the cars. "That's not the point. It's the principle of the matter, Em. We can't let them go on thinking they can steal anything they want from us any time they want and get away with it, now get in." I said, closing my side of the door. He sighed once more and climbed in as I started it up, driving out into the night.

**XxXxXx**

We had been driving for a good twenty minutes when we reached the woods and I pulled over to the side of the road. "Alright, I'm going in; you stay here and get ready to follow me back." I whispered, hopping out of the truck.

Emmett was around and in front of me in seconds. "Wait a minute, why are _you_ going in?"

I stepped back and stared up at him. "You're a giant tree, Em. They'll see you coming. Try not to worry so much; you'll prematurely grey your hair." I smirked at him.

Emmett glared down and me and huffed, walking with me to the ditch. "Fine, but be careful. I don't want a sister full of holes by the end of the night, got it?"

I tried to hold back my grin and nodded seriously. "'Kay, give me twenty minutes to find it and get it started. No, wait, I might need to go slow to sneak past people. Give me…thirty five minutes.

"Alright, but hurry as much as you can." Emmett said before reluctantly heading back to the car.

I squared my shoulders, tightened my tie and readjusted the goggles on my head before marching into the woods.

I'm not afraid to admit that I fell…many times. But I did manage to stay out of the mud and not rip anything, so I think I did pretty well for myself. But the sight of their house had me stopping in my tracks; they must have been loaded! It was a huge white mansion with a large front porch, three stories high, and then a smaller garage behind the mansion. I crept around, seeing there was in fact people walking their land with guns or bats or other weapons in their hands. I snuck over to the side of the mansion, hiding in it's shadow. I got another idea then, feeling my revengeful side making me think of plans to get them back. Besides; I had to teach them a lesson and defend the Swan name! And since I was already there, I might as well have, so I looked up to the one window on this side of the house. There was white lattice covering this side as well, overgrown with vines; perfect for climbing.

Which I did. It was a struggle; I slipped many times, but managed to huff and puff and pant my way to the top, right under the window. I slowly lifted myself more, just peeking over the sill into the room and gasped. The room was huge as well, no real surprise there, but the inside of it was a sight to see. The walls were gold, with black carpeting and bedspread on the giant bed. All the furniture was either gold or black, including the large book cases along one of the walls that peeked my interest. I had a thing for reading.

I lifted the window, overjoyed that it wasn't locked, and lowered myself in. My brows furrowed as my foot got caught in some of the vines on the lattice, and I tried to look back over to untangle myself. I ended up throwing off my balance, hoping around for a second and a half before falling on my butt. I cringed, listening to see if someone was charging over to inspect the sound, but it appeared that no one had heard me. I sighed in relief and got to my feel, walking over to the bookcase. Skimming over the tittles, I noticed that whoever owned this room had very many of my favourites, and some that looked good. All in all, they had impeccable taste, and I was impressed.

"Take your brooding elsewhere, Edward. I'm in a good mood; don't ruin it." I heard a musical voice say outside the door of the room.

I almost screamed, but covered my mouth and looked around, spotting the window and made a run for it. Just as I was lifting it up again and slipping one of my legs over it, the door opened and someone gasped. I looked over and nearly fell out the window. Tyler and his buddies were always asking me out and joking around like that, so I had the impression that I was fairly good looking. But _this_ person…wow. They were even more pale than myself, which I didn't even think was possible, and were rather short, but the heels that they were wearing gave them some height. They were wearing a flowing gown that was gold in the front with a V neck, and black in the back with the V neck still. Their hair was short and spiked out in every direction; black like the ink in the many, many books I had read over the years. Their features were small and sharp, and their overall appearance gave them a nymph look. But what held me there was their eyes; they were a shinning emerald green that grew darker and darker the closer to their pupils, locked onto my own eyes.

"Alice?" Someone called from out in the hall, out of my line of sight.

"Not right now, Jessica; I'm busy." The girl, Alice, said without breaking eye contact. She stepped forward, only enough to close the door behind her, and looked me over. I tried not to blush. "Are you stealing from me?"

I pulled my leg back in and held up my hands. "No."

She seemed to relax…somewhat. "Then what are you doing in my room?"

I put on a face of innocent shock. "_Your_ room? Oh! I must be lost, silly me." I replied flippantly, turning to the window again. Her eyes narrowed and I froze again. "I-I was looking at your books." I amended.

She raised an eyebrow and looked over to her bookcase and then back to me. "You like books?" She asked, surprised.

"Very much." I replied honestly. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I lie? This was such a bad idea! I should have just stuck to the plan! Damn you pride and damn defending the Swan name - I was going to get caught now or something worse.

"Most girls don't like reading." She said, running a finger along a few titles, pulling out a rather large book. I didn't recognize the title.

"I'm not like most girls." I found myself leaning on the window sill, almost casually like we were just two strangers who happened to meet in a coffee shop or diner.

Her green eyes looked me over once more. "Clearly."

That time I felt my cheeks redden. "You don't seem to be either though." I pointed out.

She put the book down and turned to face me fully. "Oh?"

I nodded. "Most girls would scream when they find someone in their bedroom, most girls would have called for help by now, and most girls look at me like I'm crazy for dressing like this while it seems like you couldn't care less."

"I don't like most girls," She murmured. "For all those reasons. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself; who needs brawn when you have brain?"

"I'm glad to know I'm not the only one." I laughed and she smiled.

"As am I." She said, looking down to her feet. She furrowed her brows and looked up at me. "What's your name?"

I was taken off guard and blurted out my name before I could stop myself. "Bella."

She closed her eyes, saying my name slowly, as if tasting it. "Bella." I'm sure when she opened her eyes, mine were wide and my face was redder than a tomato. "I'm Alice Cullen."

"I know." I whispered and she raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, I have to go." I said, turning back to the window.

"Wait!" Alice yelled and I looked over my shoulder to see her looking down with the faintest tint of pink to her cheeks. "I mean; why?" She asked, quieter.

"I shouldn't even be here in the first place. I just came back for the truck that your men stole from us." I whispered frantically.

"What?" She asked, her face crinkling in confusion. I held back from cooing at her and how adorable it looked. Realization made it's way into her eyes and her mouth fell open. "Bella McCarty? As in Emmett and Bella McCarty, the niece and nephew of the Swans?"

I nodded sadly and swung my legs out the window. "Please don't call for anyone." I mumbled. When I spun myself around to climb back down, I saw her rip a piece of paper from a notebook and run over to me.

She leaned out the window and tucked the piece of paper into my pocket and leaned in close to my ear. "Please meet me there tomorrow night." She whispered, her lips grazing my ear. She pulled back slightly to look at me with large, green, pleading eyes. I'm sure my eyes were the size of saucers as I nodded slowly, watching a smile slowly light up her face. I licked my trembling lips trying to make them stop and she followed the action with her eyes, looking back up into mine as she slowly leaned forward.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I felt her hot breath on my lips…

"Hey!" At the sound of someone yelling from her doorway, she snapped back into the window and my hands slipped.

"BELLA!" Alice screamed, trying to reach for me. I screamed all the way down, landing on my back with a thud and knocked the window out of me. I opened my eyes, surprised at how soft the ground was, and looked down to see I had landed on a rose bush. I quickly rolled off, cackling, and tried to fix it the best I could before sprinting off back to the woods. Surprisingly enough, I didn't fall once running back through the woods to the car. I burst through the tree line and ran over to the car, hopping in through the open window and scared Emmett who yelped and sped off down the road. "What happened? Where's the truck? Did they catch you?" He barked out, his face full of worry as I scrambled to right myself while he raced down the street.

I just continued to cackle like a madwoman, trying to calm down.

Emmett let me be, even when I finally stopped and stared off into space, deep in thought. We pulled over once back in the city so I could hot-wire another truck and bring it back with us, and we both headed back home.

By the time we got back, the sun was nearly rising and only a few people were left in the bar, the band long since gone. I trudged up the stairs to my room, ignoring whatever Jane was trying to tell me, pushing past Demetri, and shut my bedroom door. I tossed my goggles down onto my desk in front of the only window in the room, along with my belt, and loosened by tie before flopping down onto the bed.

_It's a set up. That's it; that's why she gave you the note you've yet to read. She's going to get you tomorrow night for breaking into her room..._

_But what about before I fell? What was that?_

I sighed and flipped over onto my back, looking up at my ceiling. I was not going tomorrow.

But I should; keep up appearances and such. I knew how to take care of myself.

But she might bring people.

I was not going.

But I wanted to.

I wanted to go and see her again more than I ever wanted anything else in my entire life.

Well hell.

**XxXxXx**

**Alright. I took this down and revamped it, **_**hopefully**_** making it better than the first time. So, I think you should review and tell me if it's better or worse or maybe if you didn't read it before, just tell me how you like it now. Sound like a plan? ^^ Please review! Annnnnnnd, pictures of the guns (Which is all accurate; they had those back then in the mid twenties, so aha!) goggles are on my profile.**

**-Paige.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Inspired by Lackadaisy comics**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**Rated: T.**

**Author: Paige Turner.**

**Pairing: Alice/Bella.**

**Summery: AU. AH. A more recent Romeo and Juliet with enough twists, turn, and action to keep you hooked. Well, that's the plan. ^^ R&R! A/B Es/C R/Em J/M E/?**

**BELLA**

A loud banging, followed by threats from Renee saying that if I didn't get up to do my chores; I'd be grounded for a month, woke me up the next morning. Well, later that day really, since Emmett and I hadn't gotten home until the wee hours of the morning. I stretched and yawned, throwing my legs off the side of the bed, and was standing up when the previous night's events came screaming back to me, making me fall back down on the bed. I grumbled and reached into my pocket, pulling out the small piece of paper and laying it on my desk, still folded up. I quickly changed into a pair of black pants, my shoes, a white undershirt under black suspenders, and tied my hair up with a blue ribbon. The dirty clothes were thrown into the waste basket for whoever did laundry next, which would probably be Renee because everyone hated doing laundry here.

I sighed before grabbing the piece of paper and tucked it back into my pocket, already feeling it start to burn a hole through. Whistling, I made my way down the stairs to the diner in hopes of finding breakfast being made."Finally you're up. Marcus has been looking for you for an hour." Felix said, running his hands through his short, black hair that he recently got cropped even shorter. He was wiping down one of the tables with a strained smile on his face for the few customers that were enjoying their late breakfast.

"Marcus? Why?" I asked. Marcus was one of Charlie's friends that helped manage the thugs we had, same with his brothers; Caius and Aro. Frankly, they all gave me the creeps, but they were tight with Charlie, so I put up with them and did the favours they were always asking of me and Emmett.

"Why don't you go and see for yourself." Felix said, nodding to the back door. "He's in the basement."

I nodded and headed to the back and down the big stairs, pushing open the large oak door myself, seeing as Laurent was off. I found Marcus in one of the back corners, sitting on a sofa and speaking Italian with a girl I didn't recognize. I stopped in front of him, putting my hands on my hips. "You rang?" I snapped.

Marcus grinned, always finding my anger humorous for some reason. "Bella, there you are. I need you to pick up an envelope for me. A Mr. Banner will meet you in front of the market in half an hour."

My eyes widened. "Half an hour?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well you would have had an hour and a half had you not been hiding this morning. Now, off you go." He laughed, making shooing gestures with his hands dismissively.

I groaned and ran back up the stairs and into the diner, heading for the front door. Stupid errands to run, stupid sleeping in, stupid Italian creeps. Renee popped out of nowhere, holding a large buckets and a sponge. "Sorry ma'am." I mumbled, going to step around her.

"Oh no you don't; you aren't getting out of your chores today, miss slacker." She said, handing me a black apron. "You need to wash the front windows, help restock, and wait on the customers for lunch."

Clenching my jaw, I slipped on the apron, quickly tying the back in a bow, and nodded, taking the bucket and everything from her hands. She smiled at me and followed me to the front door where I left her and dropped everything in front of one of the large windows. I watched her head to the back for the stairs, and then took off running down the sidewalk towards the market. People stared at me like I was insane as I breathlessly gave them my 'good morning's.

I skidded to a stop in front of the market place, bending over panting and tried to catch my breath. The sun was out and shinning today, making it a real scorcher. Straightening out, I spotted the man at the corner of the building who couldn't look more suspicious if he tried. I walked over and tapped him on the shoulder, making him jump, and smiled. "Marcus sent you?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yes, sir. You've got an envelope for me?" I asked back. He nodded as well, taking it out of his inside coat pocket and handed it to me before running off to his car and speeding away. I shrugged and tucked it into my apron pocket, turning to head back.

A woman walking out of the building with multiple bags of groceries caught my eye as she struggled not to drop them. When I saw one falling, I ran over and grabbed it, taking hold of a few more. She laughed and readjusted herself, smiling warmly at me. "Thank you."

"No problem." I said, walking over to her car where a boy hopped out to grab the groceries and put them in the back.

After I handed mine to him, he turned back to grab more from the woman, and our eyes met, making me gasp. They were a shockingly familiar shinning emerald green. He was quite the pale person as well, with messy bronze hair that defied gravity, and was rather tall. He raised an eyebrow. "You look familiar…Have we met?" He asked in a smooth voice.

A smooth voice that was yelling at me just a few hours ago! "No!" I said quickly and looked away from him to the woman who was watching the exchange. She lad long caramel hair, a heart shaped face, with those same green eyes. "I've got to go." I said, backing away from them and just now noticing the 'Cullen' plates on their nice looking car. Well this was not smart.

"Oh." The woman frowned. "Well, thank you for the help."

"Any time." I grinned and then slapped a hand over my mouth. Damn manners. "I mean…yeah, okay, bye." I said and then ran back down the street.

When I got back to the diner, I sat down on the sidewalk beside my bucket while it filled with water. Was this a sign? If it was, was it a sign to go? Or was it a sign to stay away? I was never good at reading signs like this.

I bit my lip and pulled out the piece of paper, gently unfolding it and took a deep breath before looking down at it.

_The Hale Ale at ten o'clock._

The Hale Ale? That was enemy grounds! Was she insane? Although…that would put us in the same boat; neither on friendly turf to go for backup, and the only way we'd be able to get in, was as pedestrians, not Swans or Cullens. So, putting all that aside; she wanted to meet me there just as a person, not as a family member of the opposing party.

Unless they've formed an alliance and in which case; we were screwed. So really, it was my _responsibility_ to go and figure out if there was something going on between the two that we didn't know about. It was like my duty, and I would be letting everyone down if I didn't go.

"Get your head out of the clouds and start washing them dirty windows, girl." Renee hollered from the door.

I scrambled to my feet. "Yes ma'am. Could you give this to Felix to give to Marcus?" I asked, handing her the envelope. She nodded and then pointed to the windows before turning and heading back inside.

I sighed and grabbed a sponge, dipping it in the soap water and brining it to the window. I really hated doing chores.

**XxXxXxX**

I was sitting on the corner of my bed in my room, looking out at the moon up in the black sky. I had finished my chores a few hours ago, ate, and then came up here to get ready. It was a little slower today, so waiting tables didn't take as long as I thought, but it worked out well because it was close to ten o'clock. I ended up wearing a black lace corset dress, borrowing Heidi's tall black high heel boots that she got from Europe(people over there were coming out with something new every day - real creative bunch they were) and took out my silver necklace with a heart locket hanging on it that my mom gave me for my fourth birthday.

I sighed for the umpteenth time that evening, looking in my mirror as I held my hair up and let it fall back down a few times. "Bleh." I mumbled, letting it stay down, and screamed when my doors opened. Emmett came in, his grin slipping from his face in confusion. "Have you ever heard of knocking?" I screeched at him.

"Why are you all fancied up?" He asked, looking around the room like he had never seen it before. "I feel like I just stepped into a parallel reality where everything and everyone is opposite of everything and everyone here."

I bit my lip, leaning back against my desk as I inconspicuously pushed the piece of paper Alice gave me into the trash beside it. "No reason. Can't a girl get dressed up every once in a while?"

Emmett nodded. "Sure they can. Just not _you_." I scowled at him. "In all my nineteen years, I've only seen you wear a dress twice; both times because you were forced to." He pointed out. "What's going on, Bells?"

I sighed again and folded my arms across my chest. "I'm going out tonight."

"With who?" He asked, curious and almost amused.

"No one." I replied, too quickly. He looked at me sternly. "I'm meeting someone at a bar, okay?"

"Which bar?"

I coughed. "Hale Ale." Another cough.

Emmett's eyes widened. "What!" He exploded. "No. No, no, no. You're not going to that bar. No." He furiously shook his head. "Your friend can meet you here." He said quieter.

"They can't." I said, pleading with my eyes to make him drop it.

He cautiously raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because…They're a Cullen."

Emmett gasped, stumbling back into the door. "A…What…You…Cullen…_Why?_" He demanded.

I took a deep breath. "Because I snuck into her room last night and met her and then her brother barged in and started yelling so I was leaving but she asked me to meet her there before I fell out a window onto their rose bush and for some odd reason I feel like I can trust her and now that I think of it her mother seemed like a genuinely nice person too not at all like the others describe them." I said, searching Emmett's eyes as I ran up to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and looking up at him. "I'm so confused!"

"That makes two of us." He muttered, scratching his head. Emmett was quiet for a few minutes while I let it all sink in with him before he replied. "You're usually right about your feelings on people. And if you're dressing up; this must be important to you." He smirked.

I grinned and hugged him tighter. Any of the others would have yelled and been mad at me for even _considering_ this, but Emmett supported me no matter what, just like I did him. "Thanks."

"However, I _am_ coming with you, in case anything happens." He said, pulling me from him so he could go get ready.

I grumbled and nodded, knowing this was the only way he'd let me go. "Hurry up; we gotta leave soon." I called as he closed his bedroom door. I crept downstairs, staying in the darker parts of the room so no one would see me as I grabbed Jane's black hooded cape cloak, that Emmett called her Little Black Riding Hood in, and pulled the hood up to wait outside for Emmett. I sent up a silent prayer that my gut was right and we could trust Alice.

**XxXxXx**

The night was warmer than usual again but cool enough that I would have been cold without the cloak. There was a small breeze, stirring up leaves on the sidewalk and playing with the locks of hair that hung down on my chest, but not strong enough to actually blow down the hood. The night was clear too, no clouds screening the moon; letting it shine down, making the misty fog that hovered over the ground just visible.

The door to The Swan opened and closed quickly, Emmett swinging on his grey coat over his attire. Black shoes and pants and button up, with the grey coat, and a black bowler hat. "Are you sure about this?" He asked, taking my small hand in his giant warm one.

I looked up into his worried brown eyes, but past that worry was a fierceness, and I knew then that even if something went wrong, it was okay because Emmett was there and there was no way he'd let anything happen to me. "No, let's go." I said, pulling him along with me down the street. His famous booming laugh calmed my nerves even more and I found myself smiling.

It wasn't a very long walk, the Hale Ale was just a couple of blocks away. Fifteen minutes walking, at most. I felt my stomach knot as we entered the back alley that would lead to the building's back door where everyone got in. "Hold up there, Bells." Emmett said, stopping. "We can't go in together; they'll put two and two together and figure out we're the McCarty's. I'll go first." He said, pulling out a wad of cash and walking around the corner.

The only thing keeping me calm and the nerves at bay, was trying to think of what Alice would be wearing and wondering if I was too dressed up. That would suck. After fifty two Mississippi's, I turned the corner, watching my feet as I approached the large man standing in front of the door. Okay, so maybe he was just big compared to me. To Emmett, this guy was rather small. He had dirty blonde hair that was long and kept back in a tie, with a creepy grin on his face and an odd glint in his eye. "Two newbies in one night? I have to say, I'm liking you more than Mr. Big. _Much_ more. Name's James." He said, sticking out his hand.

I stared at it and didn't stop the shudder. "Are you going to let me in?" I snapped.

"Are you going to let _me_ in?" He smirked.

My eyes narrowed into slits and my fingers twitched. Don't hit the bouncer…don't hit the bouncer... "I'm going to shove this painful heel up your ass if you don't stop hitting on me and let me in; got it?" I said calmly.

His smile widened and he opened the door. "Save me a dance."

"If you can find me." I would make sure he never found me; there was no way in hell I was dancing with the dude.

"I love a good hunt." He laughed as the door closed behind me.

I slid the large hood, that I could easily cover my entire head and probably the tips of my shoulders with, off my head and looked around. You could immediately tell who worked for the Hales; their colours were black and red, like ours were black and blue, and the Cullens were black and gold. There were people crowded at tables around the room, people crowded on the dance floor, and a few people at the bar. I wasn't exactly a social butterfly, so I took my chances at the bar. As I sat down, I noticed Emmett talking to someone in the corner of the room. I could only see their back, but they were tall, with flowing gold hair, wearing a long red gown, and Emmett looked happier than I had seen him in a while.

I was scanning the room yet again when I felt someone sit down beside me. "Looking for someone?" Said a male voice with a southern drawl. I turned and almost gasped. Beside me sat a tall, honey blonde, blue eyed guy who wasn't much older than myself. It was none other than Jasper Hale.

But he didn't seem to recognize who I was. No one did, unless I was standing with my giant teddy bear of a brother. "That obvious, huh?" I laughed.

He smiled a bright, infectious smile that kept mine on my face. "Well, you were either looking for someone, or you're the most paranoid person I've ever met."

Normally I'd have felt my blush by now, but I couldn't feel anything but happy and calm around this guy. "What if it's both?" I smirked.

He smirked as well. "A possibility, but I doubt it; you don't feel paranoid to me." He closed his eyes and opened them again, still smiling. "Almost embarrassed, but mostly happy and calm."

"Nice party trick." I laughed and looked around the room again, still not spotting Alice. "But yes, I'm looking for a…" What was she? We couldn't have been friends yet; we had barely said more than a few sentences and I hadn't been around her for more than a couple of minutes. "…Person."

His smirk grew. "Ah, well that narrows it down. What do they look like? By the way; I'm Jasper." He stuck out his hand.

"Bella." I said, shaking his hand and watching his eyes to see if they filled with realization. They didn't, just stayed warm. "And she looks…like a pixie."

Jasper's eyes widened. "What a coincidence; a pixie just walked in." He said, nodding his head in the direction of the front door. I spun around and my mouth fell open. There she was, spiked black hair that looked silky to the touch, elfin features that were small and delicate, wearing a thin strapped red dress that belled out at the bottom, coming to her knees. I quickly hopped over the bar counter, earning a curious look from Jasper. "What are you afraid of?"

Did I actually say I was afraid? "I don't really know her, I just met her last night but I had to leave in a hurry so she asked to meet me here. I want to see if she regrets coming." I blurted out.

I was surprised at the understanding look that Jasper gave me. "She's heading over; duck!" He said and I did. I heard someone sit down and sigh. "Looking for someone?" Jasper asked.

"Yes." Came Alice's reply in her musical voice. "I'm not sure if she's here yet or if she'll even come at all. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't." She trailed off, sounding troubled.

"Oh? Why not?" Jasper asked.

Alice laughed a sad laugh that ended in a sigh. "We don't really know each other. I just wanted to see her again and did the first thing that came to mind. I probably scared her."

"Maybe she _will_ meet you here, just to see you again." Jasper said and I momentarily wondered if he was a mind reader.

Alice mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like 'I'm not that lucky.'

"Well, what does she look like; maybe I can help." He suggested.

"An Angel." Alice chimed.

Jasper covered up me smacking the back of my head on the bar counter by banging it. "Uh, thing's falling apart everywhere…" He laughed nervously. "So a pixie and an angel, eh?" He mumbled. "Maybe she's in the washroom. You could try there."

"Thanks!" Alice said and I heard her skip off.

I rose from the ground, scowling and gingerly rubbing the back of my head. "Ouch."

Jasper laughed and helped me back over the counter, smiling the whole time. I raised a curious eyebrow at him. "Love makes me happy."

I choked on the lungful of air I had, coughing into my elbow as Jasper patted my back. "What?" I croaked. "I don't…Don't be absurd man, we're just…I've never… You're wrong." I muttered.

"Bella, I've seen love before. I've felt it when I found Mary. I know what it looks like. Now go on; I've got a bar to run." He smirked, gently pushing me in the direction Alice went.

He was still wrong…

I walked through the crowds of people, glancing back over to the corner where Emmett was and saw him still there, still talking to the blonde from before. Huh. Emmett wasn't usually one for talking. I made it to a hall near the front, and walked down it until I saw the door for the washroom. I raised up my fist, about to knock, when I heard someone inside. It sounded like they were crying. I hesitantly knocked, hoping it wasn't someone I didn't know and I was interrupting them or whatever. Heck, even if it was, I'd probably go in there, just to see if they were okay or not. I couldn't take people crying; it made me cry too.

There was sniffling and whoever was in there took a deep shaky breath. "One minute." They called in a choked voice. But again, it was that musical voice, and I immediately opened the door and closed it quickly behind me. She was standing in font of the sink with her face hanging over it while tears fell in. But when I came in, she froze, and slowly straightened out, looking up in the mirror at me. Her red eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she stared at me. "Bella…y-you came." She whispered.

I smiled brightly at her, hoping it was infectious. "Of course I did; you asked me to."

She smiled back at me like I was hoping, and then a look of terror crossed her face and she shot her eyes back to the mirror. "I look horrid." She mumbled, wiping under her eyes.

I shook my head. "Impossible, you could never." Alice smiled and her eyes met mine again in the mirror. "Why… Why _were_ you crying? If you don't mind me asking, that is." I added hastily.

She bit her lip and looked down at the sink. "I…hurt my hand." She mumbled.

I took a few steps closer towards her and she looked back up at me. I realized then that we had never been this close without a wall or window separating us before. "You hurt your hand for real?" I asked, alarmed when I saw her red knuckles, and hurried over. I gently took her small hand in mine, lifting it closer to my face to see if it was badly hurt.

"Are you a nurse?" She asked curiously.

I shook my head, still looking at the bruised knuckles. "No, but I've hurt myself so many times over the years; I know how to fix just about any minor injury." I said. "Does it sting?"

She looked down at her hand. "A little."

I reached over and turned on the cold water, bridging her hand under it. "This should sooth it and help keep the swelling down while I go get some ice." I said, letting go of her hand and turning to leave.

"No!" She said, grabbing my hand again and grimacing in pain. "Don't go, please."

"Okay, just try not to move that hand so much right now. How'd you hurt it anyways?" I asked, taking it again and lightly blowing on it.

She blushed and looked away. "I was angry at myself…" She muttered.

My eyes widened. "So you hurt yourself?"

"Not on purpose!" She said quickly. I nodded and tried to fight off the small smile that was pulling at my lips. It didn't appear to have worked though, since she nudged me with her hip and raised an eyebrow at me. "What?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, it's just… Now I see why me being clumsy and hurting myself is so funny to Emmett."

Alice broke out into a smile as well. "Well then, shall the two klutzes go attempt to dance?" She asked.

"Definitely. And who knows, perhaps we'll take out the competition in the process if they're standing too close." I laughed as she hooked her arm through one of mine and we walked to the washroom door.

**XxXxXxX**

**Chapter two! **

**Review, if you would be so kind. ^^**

**-Paige.**


End file.
